A new version 1.6 of America's Army Operations has been announced as a premium
service download on the America's Army
Website, where it says: "This Version 1.6 update expands the importance
of rules of engagement and teamwork within America's Army due to its
introduction of non-combatants in the new 'Radio Tower' non-combatant rescue
mission. New functionality such as the addition of projectile penetration and
ricochets add increased realism to game scenarios. Version 1.6 also marks the
transition of America's Army to the production version of Unreal's version 2110
engine." This paid download is for the full version of the game, and
meanwhile, an America's Army patch has appeared on several sites for download,
but we have been told the official patch will appear on the official website,
and event the developers aren't sure whether this is a beta or not. Here is a
quote from Abraxas from IRC: "People, stop asking me about the patch. We
only develop the game, we do not distribute. None of the Devs can tell you
anything. Obviously, there has been a snafu. The Army is aware of it and is
working on the situation." Meanwhile, there is now a mirror of the full
version 1.6 download on FileShack
(registration required).

Personally, I cut them a huge amount of slack, because the game is, well, free...

I like the game, and it's been the game i play the most for the past couple of months now. They've made alot of improvements since 1.0 and 1.1. I think the biggest outstanding issue, and I'm not sure it has been corrected in the patch or not, is the servers crashing every few hours. As far as nade teamkilling: haven't seen any of it in the past three months or so. If you stick to the official servers, and use the ones with min 9 honor, i don't think you'll see alot of that tactic because the penalties are too harsh...

I know what you mean. I played this game for quite awhile. (I am X infantry myself btw) IMHO this game oir its financier, the game takes itself way too seriously. Now, I look at Army strictly from a gamer pov, and IMHO a game should be a tad more forgiving in the areas Army is not. Having done the military thing years ago, I can say that no matter how much no matter how much real life footage you watch or games you play... nothing is really gonna prepare you for what you are gonna experience when you hit bootcamp. They should have released 2 versions, a light gamer version and a heavier recruit training version. lol With the new stuff coming, I hope a game developer takes Armys good ideas, innovates, and delivers a gamers mil sim that is fun, immersive, and a tad more forgiving and less serious in the ways that Army is not.

What is with game developers and publishers, really? How hard is it to get themselves organised to do a file release?

As a non-industry outsider I can offer up a guess:

The responsibilities associated with doing a 'file release' are neglected because the company views them as an annoyance that does not make them money.

It is no suprise that Valve and the UT2K3 patches were handled well. These are both games by companies that consider delivering extra content to their customers as a good business practice.

The other companies dump those responsibilities on someone that is either incapable of handling the work or so busy with other work (most likely the next project) that they don't have the time to devote to the work.

Trying to go a the pay for patches route may be the result of a meeting between the creators and accountants.Look to the battles between the designers of automobiles and their accountants. If you look at the designs that Dodge/Chrysler released through the late 60s to the mid 80s you can easily point a finger and say:"At this point a designer was the head of the company."or"The accountants are in charge now."

My guess is same thing here.

If they're trying to make money, well, that's a bit disappointing considering that this was always going to be a free game.

I would say it goes beyond disappointing right to downright dumb. Free means free. Unless you are the government

-TPFKAS2Shttp://www.braglio.orgHow many toes does a fish have?How many wings on a cow? I wonder, yep. I wonder!

i lost interest in the game when the patched it and i lost 15 honor points.. then in my first game two of my teammates ran in front of me as i was launching a grenade.. dropped my honor to 8 and now servers won't let me on. they have some serious playability issues.. I know i suck, but hey the game is fun.. i'd pay money to see a version of the game that doesn't incorporate honor or back to an earlier version where it didn't matter..

no the money shall goit to my st patt;ys day beef fund for more beer for my beelly because my beer is staritying to wear off.. please more beer so i dont habve tofeel the misery wchich is my life i want to die

I'd have to wonder where the money for the download is actually going.Would the Army even have a method for incorporating a commercial revenue stream?Seems to me the money for the download would have to go to the distribution service or someone third-party like that.

This ecommerce.americasarmy.com is NOT TO BE TRUSTED. I believe it's a marketing scam by MonsterCommerce.com to get people to buy the full version with the latest BETA patch. Do NOT think that the Army is finally asking us to pay for this, because they have no need to do so. Blue, I think you should remove that link ASAP.

~icDrAgon"There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary logic, and those who don't." -DunnoWho